Throttle mechanism



Aug. 11, 1925.

F. HENKE THROTTLE MECHANISM Filed Dec. 27, 1924 Patented l Hit FREDERICK F IHILADFJLPIEIIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO FOX AUTO- MOTIVE PRQEJUCTS CORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR! PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

THRUTTLE MECHANISM.

Original application filed 11113 19, 1924, Serial as, 727,033. Divided and. this application filed December 27, 192%. Serial No. 758,474.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FREDERICK HENKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia 5 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Throttle Mechanisn'l, whereof the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This is a division of myapplication Serial No. 727,038 filed July 19, for Letters Patent of the United States, which includes a claim generically covering the specific form of my invention claimed in this case.

My invention is particularly applicable to carburetor throttle mechanism whereby acceleration of an automobile motor is effected and theform thereof hereinafter described is especially designed as an accessory for Ford automobiles. Ordinarily, such automobiles are provided only with means for controlling carburetor throttle lever by manipulation of a hand lever extending im mediately below the steering wheel. The object and effect of the form of my invention hereinafter described is to providean accessory device which enables the operator to accelerate said motor by foot pressure, without disturbing the hand lever aforesaid from the position to which it has been set; such form of my invention including a spring which restores the foot accelerator to its normal idle position when released. 'Of course, the effect of such construction and arrangement is that while the operator enabled to adjust said hand lever, as heretofore, to determine a normal rate of traverse of the car, he is also enabled to temporarily increase such rate by the operation of my accessory device, without disturbing that adjustment.

As hereinafter described, my invention includes an'accessory adapter plate, preferably formed of pressed sheet metal, having spaced flanges and screw clamping means coordinately adapted for rigidly connecting said plate with an ordinary carburetor valve lever. Said adapter plate is pivotally connected with a foot accelerator rod having a pedal extending above. the floor of the auto mobile, with said rod mounted to slide in a foot rest attached to said floor. In thepreferred form of my invention hereinafter de- Fig. l.

scribed, the ordinary hand connecting lever has a crank at the end pivotally engaging a flexible connector vhich has its opposite end pivotally engaging the end of:saidvalvelever. Such construction and arrangement permits operation of said valve lever by said pedal without movement of the hand accelerator lever or disturbance of its adjustment; said flexible connector leading from theh an d lever to the valve lever being merely idly flexed. However, said spring, which returns said adapter plate to normal idle position, also returns said valve lever and its flexible connector to their normal relation, so that the valve lever may then be directly actuated by movement of said hand accelerator device.

My invention includes the various novel features of construct-ion and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In said drawings; Fig I is a diagram including sectional views showing a form of ny invention in connection with parts of a Ford automobile, some of which are shown in fragmentary section; the hand accelerator connector extending to the carburetor lever being flexible. Although a Stromberg carburetor is indicated, my device may be used in connection with other carburetors.

Fig. H is a rear elevation of the foot restshown in section in Fig. I attached to the automobile foot board. 7

H1 is a plan view of the spring bracket shown in Fig. I attached to the angle bar dash support of the automobile.

Fig. IV is an elevation of the form of my accessory adapter plate shown in Fig. I but on a larger scale.

Fig. V is an elevation of the lower edge of the parts shown in Fig. 1V, but with the carburetor valve leverin section.

In said figures; l is, an automobile carburetor of the Stromberg type and inclosing a throttle valve 2 which may be oscillated by means of the pintle 3 which is rigidly connected with the valve lever 4E. Said lever a has the arm 5 arranged to encounter the stationary stop which projects from said carburetor 1 and thus limits the movement of said lever l in one direction and deter mines the norn'ial position of said valve 2, which the closed position indicated in Said lever 4 has the end eye 9 which .end with the arm 17 of the hand lever which includes the fulcrum shaft 18 which extends in the automobile steering column and has the handle arm 19 at its upper end arranged to adjustably set it in different positions of rotation with respect to its bearings 20 and 21.

The hand accelerator device last above described is, of course, capable of shifting said throttle valve lever 4 only in the direction of the arrow marked thereon in Fig. I, as movement of the hand lever 17 in the opposite direction merely serves to release the tension on said connector 11; but thus permits said lever 4 to be restored to its normal position by other means. In this form of my invention, I provide said lever 4 with the accessory adapter plate 23 which has the opening 24 registering with said valve pintle 3, and has a pair of lugs 25, indicated in Fig. I, and shown in detail in Figs. IV and V, which lugs arespaced to fit and rigidly hold said lever 4 between them in the position shown in said Figs. I, IV and V; in which position said plate 23 is clamped upon said lever 4 by the plate tongue 28 which is formed of the same piece of metal as said plate 23 but bent parallel therewith so as to extend beneath said lever 4, as shown in Figs. IV and V. Said tongue has a screw threaded hole for engagement with the screw threaded end 29 of the screw stud 30 which is primarily cylindrical but has its opposite sides 31 flattened, as best shown in Fig. IV, to be engaged by a wrench, and also has the screw driver slot 32 in its head 33; whereby said stud may be set in the position shown in rigid relation with said plate 23 and lever 4 or may be detached for repairs. Said screw stud 30 has the neck 34 adjoining its head 33 for engage ment with one end of the spring 36 shown in Fig. I, which has its opposite end engaged in the spring hole 37 in the spring bracket 38 which has its opposite ends bent in right angular relation with each other to lit the angle bar dash support 39 of the automobile; said spring bracket having a bolt hole 40 at its opposite end for the bolt 41 which extends through said bracket and angle bar and is provided with the nut 42 rigidly securing said bracket to said bar.

As shown in Figs. I, IV and V; said accessory adapter plate 23 has the eccentric hole 44 for the right angular bent end 45 of the foot accelerator rod 46; which rod end 45 is journaled in the bushing 47which extends in said plate hole and projects from one side of said plate as a cylindrical bear ing sleeve 48, in rigid relation with said plate 23, as best shown in Fig. V. The cotter pin 50, shown in Fig. V, normally retains said foot accelerator rod end 45 in such pivotal connection with said plate 23. As shown in Fig. V; said foot rod 46 has the pedal 51 rigidly mounted upon one end thereof and extends through the bearing hole 52 in the foot rest 53 which comprises a metal strip having screw holes 55 at opposite ends thereof for the screws 56 which rigidly connect said foot rest 53 with the foot board 57 of the automobile. Said foot rest 53 has the heel flange 58 near its end opposite to said bearing hole 52, and is adapted to support the foot of the operator in convenient position to operate the foot ac celerator device above described with reference to Fig. I. The arrangement of that device is such that in the position shown in Fig. I, wherein the throttle valve 2 is closed; said lever 4 may be turned to open said valve more or less either by the movement of said hand connector 11 or foot connector 44. However, if the hand accelerator lever 19 be set to open said valve 2 to a certain extent; the operation of my accessory throttle mechanism shown in Fig. I does not disturb said hand lever 19 from its set position; the movement of said valve lever 4 by the foot accelerator merely serving to slacken and flex the hand connector 11 until said spring 36 restores the parts to the normal position shown in Fig. I

It may be observed that in the specific form of my invention above described, the adapter which renders the foot accelerating device cooperative with the hand accelerating device is a single piece of metal having coordinated flanges and screw clamping means for rigidly connecting it with the lever of the throttle valve to be controlled and, incidentally, such adapter element is the medium through which spring pressure is applied to said lever to restore it to normal position when released. Of course, such adapter elements may be made of different forms and specific construction in accordance with the different construction and. arrangement of the automobile structures to which they are accessory.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that 7 various modifications may be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with an automobile carburetor throttle valve having an axial pintle; of a lever rigidly connected with said valve and provided with a flexible hand accelerator connector; an accessory adapter plate having an opening registering with said valve pintle and an eccentric hole provided with a bushing journal for the end of a foot accelerator rod, said plate having a pair of lugs spaced to fit and rigidly hold said lever between them; and a plate tongue, formed of the same piece of metal as said plate but bent parallel there-with so as to extend beneath said valve lever and provided with a screw threaded hole; a stud arranged to extend through said plate and having a screw threaded end engaging said hole in said tongue; whereby, said stud may be set to rigidly clamp said plate on said lever; a foot accelerator rod having a right angular bent end pivotally secured in said bushing journal; a pedal on one of said foot rod; means arranged to support, and limit the movement of said foot rod; and a spring having one end engaging said plate stud and having means for attachment; whereby, said valve may be shifted to accelerate the operation of the automobile, by means of said pedal and foot lever, and be automatically returned to operative relation with said hand accelerator connector.

2. The combination with an automobile carburetor throttle valve; of a lever rigidly connected with said valve and provided with a hand accelerator connection; an accessory adapter plate having a journal for the end of a foot accelerator rod, and a tongue extending beneath said valve lever; a screw arranged to draw said plate and tongue together; whereby, said plate may be rigidly clamped on said lever; a foot accelerator rod having one end pivotally secured in said plate journal; a pedal on the other end of said foot rod; means arranged to support,

and limit the movement of, said foot rod;

and a. spring extending from said plate and normally tending to shift said valve lever to close said valve; whereby, said valve may be shifted to accelerate the operation of the automobile, by means of said pedal and foot lever, and be automatically returned to operative relation with said hand accelerator connection.

3. An accessory foot accelerator, for a Ford automobile, comprising an adapter plate formed of a single piece of metal, including a tongue extending parallel with said plate, and screw clamping means adapted for rigidly connecting it with the lever of the carburetor throttle valve in such auto mobile; said plate having a spring; whereby said valve may be automatlcally returned to closed position, when released.

4. An accessory foot accelerator, for an automobile carburetor valve having an operating lever; including an adapter plate having a pair of flanges and a flexible clamping tongue, and adj ustable screw means arranged to rigidly connect said plate with said lever, by engagement with said tongue, and a pedal operatively connected with said plate.

5. An accessory foot accelerator, for an automobile carburetor valve having an operating lever; including an adapter plate having a pair of flanges and a flexible clamping tongue, and adjustable screw means arranged to rigidly connect said plate with said lever, by engagement with said tongue.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 19th day of December, 1924.

FREDERICK HENKE. 

